Test Preparation
 
STRATEGIES FOR TEST TAKING
  • Ideally, preparation for tests begins on the first day of class and continues throughout the semester.
  • Test preparation depends on many factors:
    • the importance of regular attendance,
    • keeping up with reading assignments,
    • taking notes in class,
    • doing assignments on time.
  • Each of these contribute toward laying a firm foundation for test preparation.

  • PREPARATION ~ WHAT TO STUDY

    Most instructors give students handouts to help them determine what will be important in terms of tests and outside assignments.


  • Take advantage of all handouts.
  • Even a simple list of terms to be learned can be invaluable.
  • Incorporate reading assignments into your regular review and recitation sessions.
  • See "SQ3R" for a proven way to take notes from your reading assignments so that you have solid notes to review of chapters and outside readings assigned, as well as class notes.
  • Past quizzes and study guides can also prove useful.

Summary

Note taking is crucial to success in the classroom.
Regular, consistent review is the key to test preparation.
Rewriting notes or transferring them to printed form is invaluable as review and in organizing the material so that it is more easily understood.

Preparation ~ HOW TO STUDY

Be sure you know what is to be tested. Ask questions of the instructor if there are any doubts. Once you know what will be covered on the test or quiz, then you can more successfully direct your studying efforts accordingly.

Organize your study aids. Include class notes, past quizzes, handouts, and notes from chapter and outside reading assignments. Usually, it is useful to organize all study aids in the sequence of the classroom lectures themselves.

Start at least two weeks before the test to read through all of your notes. Try to obtain "the big picture," how all the material is going to come together, how major topics relate to one another, and how important each topic is to the instructor. Look for clues that were given in class. "This is a very important point." "Put a big star by this." " This particular era will be emphasized on the test." This should help you determine what to spend most of your time on.

Recitation is the single most effective way to review. Hearing yourself say it makes a more solid impact on retention and long-term memory than any other method of review. Therefore, use the two methods listed below orally for best effect.

Quiz yourself often. Turn each section of notes into questions to be answered orally or, in the case of essay questions, in writing. Check your answers. Recite your answers. If your answer feels shaky, then your understanding of the material is probably weak.

  • In practicing essay questions, check to see whether you left out major points?
  • Are all statements clearly understood?
  • Continue this process during the course of the next two weeks or longer.
  • Use study handouts or study guide exercises to reinforce your learning.

Prepare flash cards on key terms, vocabulary, equations, formulas and so on. Review and recite them often. If material is similar, flash cards can help point out distinctions that might otherwise be overlooked. Example: distinguishing between individuals who were all Native American chiefs during the same era.

Sitting Bull

  • visionary Sioux chief
  • victorious at the Battle of Little Bighorn
  • leader of the Ghost Dance movement upon return from Canada
  • killed by reservation police
  • a granite shaft marks his resting place in S.D.

Crazy Horse

  • Oglala Sioux Chief whose role was to prepare braves for battle
  • surrendered after one year of roaming the plains as hunted
  • killed "resisting" imprisonment

Geronimo

  • Apache symbol of resistance
  • last of the Plains Indians to resist reservation life
  • took on "civilized" life
  • victim of alcoholism

Note: even how flash cards are prepared is important. Do not overload with facts. Limit to 3 or 4 of the most relevant facts. Do not use the back side unless you want to formulate a question so that a friend or a family member that can assist you in review sessions.

Guess what the instructor will ask. As you read over your notes and work at preparing study aids, keep asking yourself what information was most emphasized in class and what questions the instructor might ask. The more you quiz yourself, the more likely you are to anticipate at least some of the test questions.

Summary

Determine what will be on the test.
Start organizing your material at least two weeks before the test.
Review, recite regularly.
Be a proactive learner: anticipate questions and content of the test.


TAKING A TEST

ON TEST DAY

  1. Get a good night's rest.
  2. Prepare all supplies needed (pencil, test forms, calculator, etc.) before you go to sleep.
  3. Eat a light, high-protein meal for breakfast.
  4. Arrive early.
  5. Relax, taking a few deep breaths.
  6. Think positive thoughts.
BEFORE STARTING THE TEST
  1. Preview the test.
  2. Budget time for each portion of the test according to the point value.
  3. Read the directions to each portion of the test carefully. Reread or ask the
  4. instructor for clarification if necessary.
  5. If scratch paper is allowed, write out a few key ideas or outline your answers to essay questions.

 

TAKING A TEST—objective

  1. Answer the questions you are sure of first. This will build up your confidence.
  2. Answer all questions (unless you are penalized for wrong answers).
  3. Go back to difficult questions. Items on the test might give you useful infor- mation or jog your memory on needed facts.
  4. Circle key words in difficult questions. This will provide a central focus.
  5. Express difficult questions in your own words. If you are not sure what the question is asking, ask the instructor to explain it.
  6. Use process of elimination with multiple choice questions for which you are not sure of the answer.
  7. Use your general knowledge and common sense. Select the best remaining answer.
  8. Use all of your allotted time, making sure that all questions were answered or by covering up your answers, attempting to rework the question.
  9. Do not change your answer unless you are sure of the new answer.

TAKING A TEST—essay

  1. Budget your time carefully, according to the point value of each question.
  2. Organize your ideas on scratch paper before you begin writing.
  3. Write what is most important first. Then expand your answer, giving plenty of examples and/or definitions if the latter are part of the material to master.

 

TAKING A TEST—math or science problems

An excellent four-step strategy is described in How to be a Successful Student by Donald Martin.

AFTER THE TEST

Test grades are feedback. They are not a measurement of your self-worth, creativity or of your intelligence. If the very idea of taking a test causes your stomach to get creepy and sweat to pour out of your pores, then it is time to rethink your definition of a test. Let's substitute the word "feedback" or "evaluation" for test.

Evaluation is a feedback mechanism that implies purpose and progress. The true purpose of evaluation is to determine your strengths and weaknesses, what you know and don't know, so that you can make adjustments in your study habits to benefit from or build on your strengths in order to improve your weaknesses. CHANGE is essential. This is where I am — this is where I want or need to be. What ACTION am I willing to take to reach that point? Take time to assess and make adjustments to strategies and goals.

Adapted from: Sowing the Seeds of Success, A Learning Activities Handbook, compiled and edited by Suzanne Skinner and Carolyn DeLecour; Ellis,Dave, The Master Student, 1985, and Judson, The Search for Solutions, 1980.


IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER ABOUT TAKING TESTS:

It is okay to make mistakes while learning.
Evaluate frequently to see where progress is being made.
Make adjustments where indicated.
Celebrate success!

WHY YOU SHOULD REVIEW A RETURNED TEST:

Look for mistakes in grading.
Know what questions you missed and why you missed them.
Take advantage of your instructor's invitation to come examine and evaluate your test in her office. Ask questions while the material on the test is still "fresh."
Study the instructor's comments on essay questions so that you will know what is expected next time.
Evaluate what kinds of questions you missed. Study those carefully to know what makes them difficult for you. Review strategies to successfully conquer those kinds of questions.
See if the questions missed came from the text or the lecture. Concentrate more on that source for the next exam.
Correct and understand what you missed. This is information that may appear on a later test or the final.
Review to get an idea what kind of test the instructor might give the next time.
Review to put the information into long-term memory.
Review how you studied for the exam. Look for better ways.

Adapted from "A Dozen Reasons to Review a Returned Test" Middle Tennessee State University.

SUMMARY
BE COURAGEOUS!

Give yourself permission to make mistakes. All human beings make them.
Be willing to try something new, to fail, to correct your errors, to fail again, and, above all else, to keep trying.

BE OPEN TO DISCOVERY!

Observe your actions and reactions.
Listen to your inner voice.
Pay attention to what works and doesn't work.
Reflect on past failures and use them as learning experiences.
Above all else, be open to CHANGE.

BE AN ACTIVE LEARNER!

Successful learners are active learners. They prepare for learning and participate in the process.
Ask questions.
Learn actively: develop mind maps, use flash cards, read your text aloud while pacing, recite, write in your text.

The key to effective learning is ACTIVE LEARNING!

Adapted from Sowing the Seeds of Success, A Learning Activities Handbook, compiled and edited by Suzanne Skinner and Carolyn DeLecour.
 

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Please send any questions, or comments to Nora E. McMillan, email, nmcmillan@mail.accd.edu, 
or Carol A. Keller, email, ckeller@mail.accd.edu